1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to display advertising and more particularly to an apparatus for imparting animation to articles on display.
In the field of retail advertising displays are often animated to attract the attention of customers and/or demonstrate the use or operation of the product for sale.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Heretofor animated advertising displays have usually been accomplished by the use of a relatively small electric motor arranged for imparting motion to the article or articles displayed. These little motors usually have a relatively short life span and, if battery operated, are frequently subject to maintenance problems, such as replacing the batteries. Frequently the motor and its drive components are custom made for the particular type of display to be animated and are seldom reuseable in other displays thus adding to the initial cost of producing an animated display.
Prior patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,646,639; 2,932,919 and 3,024,551 have generally employed a crank shaft so that the throw of the crank shaft or a cam thereon imparts reciprocating movement to articles connected by strands to the crank shaft. Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,640,909 have utilized eccentric disks contacting an intermediate portion of a display supporting strand to impart movement to the display.
The principal disadvantage of the devices of these named patents is that excessive wear occurs at the point of contact or attachment of the strand to the motion imparting member.
This invention is distinctive over these patents by utilizing a nonrotating oscillating plate mounted on a vertical axis so that animated motion inducing strands connected therewith are not subjected to sliding friction wear intermediate their ends.
This invention is similarly distinctive over my copending application by eliminating the sliding friction contact between animated motion inducing strands passing through apertures when connected with a crank member.